Fans get early look at 'Elysium' footage

Send a link to a friend

[April 10, 2013]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The year is 2154, and Earth belongs to the poor. The wealthiest citizens live on "Elysium," an idyllic, disease-free utopia they built in space.

On Monday, a few hundred film fans in Los Angeles, Berlin and Sao Paolo got an early look at the future home of the 1 percent as imagined by "District 9" writer-director Neill Blomkamp.

Blomkamp showed about 10 minutes of footage from the anticipated film during a special screening. Matt Damon, who stars alongside Jodie Foster, introduced the footage in Berlin and appeared at Hollywood's Arclight Theater via satellite.

In the film, Earth is a trash-filled landscape policed unforgivingly by robotic droids. Flying military tanks patrol the sky.

Damon plays a diseased Earthling trying to infiltrate Elysium to save himself, and perhaps all of humanity. A group of Earth-bound rebels outfit him for the journey with a tentacled "strength suit." They use a drill to affix a digital box to his head that allows him to transfer brain contents as effortlessly as computer files.

[to top of second column]

Foster plays an Elysium administrator determined to keep Damon out. The star of "District 9," Sharlto Copley, plays a bearded villain who works on Earth to protect the wealthy space enclave.

Speaking to reporters after the screening, Blomkamp hinted that there could be a sequel to his breakthrough debut.

"I think the world of 'District 9' has a lot of very interesting race and impression-based ideas that I would still like to explore in that world," he said.

"Elysium" opens Aug. 9.

[Associated Press; By SANDY COHEN]

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

< Top Stories index

Back to top


 

News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries

Community | Perspectives | Law & Courts | Leisure Time | Spiritual Life | Health & Fitness | Teen Scene
Calendar | Letters to the Editor